


Spores, Trees and Everything In-Between

by KatanaClone



Series: Love is stored in the robot [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: And how do you tag the loving friendship between a druid and the land they caretake??, Because how do you tag Nature??, Gen, This entire series is going to be me trying to figure out how to tag characters, but I didn't want to put character tags because both are only mentioned in one sentence, there's also mention of Melora/The Wildmother and Pan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-09-01 00:31:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20249185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatanaClone/pseuds/KatanaClone
Summary: The land is old and has seen many things in their years of existing.Then sprouts Little Tree.An experiment in perspective, where I detail my druid's backstory from the point of view of the forest they grew up in.





	Spores, Trees and Everything In-Between

**Author's Note:**

> This idea sprouted in my mind and I wanted to see what I would get by exploring it  
And what I got by the end of it is that it is hard af to demonstrate emotion with non-humanoid bodies and that I love exploring the exact nature of the relationship of druids and the lands they worship.

When Little Tree first sprouted in their lands, so small and not at all a sapling, it caught all the trees’ attention. A rippling effect of rustling leaves happened, starting from where Little Tree sprouted to the edges of the forest, catching all the animals nearby by surprise.

\---- 0101 0011 ----

_My, what a frightful Little Tree this one is_, thought the trees as they watch Little Tree take their first steps, as shaky as a newborn doe’s, and fall with a small and short cry.

_How interesting_, they marvel, _a Tree that can walk! _

Little Tree then proceeds to curl up and crawl back to where they have awoken, not moving from that position for several nutrient cycles.

\---- 0010 0000 ----

Little Tree is such a curious creature.

Lately, they have been walking around and labeling different flora and fauna with their quiet, hollowed-out voice.

Then after spending some time observing the ecosystem, Little Tree proceeds to move animal carcasses so that it is more accessible for the live ones to prey upon. Then they spread around the far too decayed ones so that the flora can more equally flourish under the increased amount of nutrients.

_What a wonderful Little Tree they are._

\---- 0101 0000 ----

Little Tree has learned of their magical abilities and is now excitedly talking to a befuddled squirrel.

A young tree sways dangerously. They are young enough to think of themselves as an individual, yet old enough to understand the dynamics of the lands.

“Why won’t Little Tree talk to us?” Their leaves shake more dangerously than before.

Overhearing this, a peculiar little tree laughs, leaves falling as she shakes. She is older than them, though not as old as the oldest trees. The older trees know that she only speaks when she feels that it is important to, and she has spoken more than they have ever heard her speak when Little Tree first sprouted.

“You know Little Tree just came into their powers. Give them time to gather enough power to communicate with us. Oh, and by the way, Little Tree likes to call themselves ‘Mycena.’”

“Wh-the fungus? Why not call themselves ‘Little Tree?’” With how much their branches are shaking, it is a surprise that no leaf has fallen yet.

More of her leaves fall at a faster rate.

“Ah, so you _have_ been listening in on their spoken musings,” she teases.

Mycena pauses their conversation with a now disgruntled squirrel to look up at the shaking trees.

At Mycena’s stare, they bloom a copious amount of flowers.

Her tree is now bare of leaves.

\---- 0100 1111 ----

Their Little Tree (_their guardian, custodian, keeper, **kin**_) is bound for things greater than this land.

They all see it in different ways.

The way they have knowledge of all the different creatures in these lands.

The way that they are so small yet the trees at the edges of their lands, the ones with the most knowledge on the beings who travel across them and do their best to keep their Little Tree hidden and safe from them (_They are not inherently possessive beings, but Little Tree is **theirs** far more than they belong to those beings who pass their lands_), know that were Little Tree to wander into a sea of those beings, they would tower above all.

The way that they have an intuitive understanding of the trees, the grass, the plants, and the fungi despite their magic only being as strong as the ability to talk and make friends with the animals.

The way that they sometimes freeze in the middle of doing something and be in that same position for several nutrient cycles, only to come back to themselves with a cry. They are haunted, and there is a hollow in them that wishes to be filled by things not of this land.

The way that their presence reminds them so much of the woman of the wilds who calls herself “mother” and the spirit of the wilds who has taken the form of both animal and man.

Little Tree is **_kin_**, as stated by both the trees and them, yet the trees are aware that there will come a time where Little Tree will spread their spores to different lands.

\---- 0101 0010 ----

“Don’t you know that Little Tree prefers to be called ‘S-POR’ now?” enquired a quiet, not oft spoken tree.

The young trees rustle in surprise while the older ones sway in amusement. She is a peculiar tree, for she once walked with legs before choosing this land to house her roots. Since then, she had not spoken much and had faded into the dynamics of the lands, until recently, when Little Tree had awoken.

“_Little Tree is Little Tree_,” the trees finally respond, after a moment of mass hesitation. She rustles sharply, her amusement the only thing the trees could pick out among the myriad of emotions she is exuding.

“Of course you would say that. Look over to our little guardian.” One of her branches, a long one filled with fruit in different stages of ripening, dip down and point at Little Tree while they are focused on collecting bones to make new additions to their self.

“There. On their form. Their name is spelled out for anyone to see.”

The trees rustle in surprise. There it is! Displayed so clearly, yet they have not seen it until now.

“_Why did we not see?_”

“Because Little Tree,_ S-POR_, is good at hiding things until they choose to let it be seen. They have chosen to hide before. Now, they have chosen to see.” A bird chooses to land on the outstretched branch, making it dip even lower. The altered weight causes some ripe fruit to drop, dragging the guardian’s attention from their bone collecting to the fallen fruit.

They walk over and pick it up, turning it over to feed the bird a non-bruised portion of the fruit.

Leaves rustle. Branches sway. All sorts of seeds fall. She stands tall, though not as tall as the fully-grown trees, and moving.

“Well? Go on.” She stands so still, yet the swaying of her dipped branch betrays her emotions. The forest is silent. Even the animals are waiting.

“_S-POR._” The trees have decided to say.

The recently acknowledged S-POR, their Little Tree, who cannot understand them the same way they understand animals, radiates so much joy at sensing their name being spoken that it is like having the sunlight touch all their leaves.

And she, the one S-POR is currently closest to, soaks in all their radiance with a sway.

\---- 0010 0000 ----

_It is time_, the trees thought as one, as they watch Little Tree- S-POR now, begin to collect their things from their tree hollow.

They knew, when the taint began spreading across their lands, that the amount of time they have left with their kin is numbered.

They knew, when they saw S-POR’s eyes dim as they slept last night, that their guardian will be gone by the end of the next nutrient cycle.

They stand in front of her. When she contacted the taint, the younger trees’ flowers wilted and their fruit rotted from the inside-out. It caused S-POR a great amount of distress as they thought the taint was spreading quicker.

She is such a fascinating tree; she has spoken and revealed more in the time S-POR has awoken than she ever had before she rooted herself to these lands.

S-POR murmured calm and soothing sounds as they snapped a y-shaped branch, one mostly untouched by taint except for where that branch diverges, creating that y-shape. She barely felt it; the taint is strong enough to dull her senses as it threatens to overwhelm her, and it is getting stronger by each nutrient cycle passing.

“The next time I return, these lands will no longer be harmed by this taint. This, I swear to you.”

Their guardian walks, one step further away from their home, their kin, and doesn’t look back.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to hear me talk more about druids, this specific druid, or anything DnD-related feel free to send me an ask on Tumblr @Katana-Clone or on Twitter @kgrace1337
> 
> If you want to see my drawings on S-POR or any of my other dnd characters, check out my instagram @kgrace1337. I plan on putting more stuff there soon. I've been working on a watercolor reference picture of S-POR and intend on sharing it there!


End file.
